


Promise Me

by treya_barton



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-17 03:24:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14824331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/treya_barton/pseuds/treya_barton
Summary: yunarumura did an ask for me on Tumblr with the prompt "Promise Me You'll Come Back!"  I didn't want to go with my first instinct which was to have Yosuke say it to Yu as he left Inaba to return to the city, and tried to come up with a scenario where Yu would say it to Yosuke instead.  And was like it would probably have to be kind of dark if that were the case so this was born lol





	1. Chapter 1

The investigation team had stumbled upon a strange dungeon in the shadow world and after much deliberation decided to check it out.  Yosuke hadn’t been too keen on the idea – the dungeon looked like a dark cave and wasn’t tied to anyone that they knew of – and neither had Rise.  She couldn’t sense anything in there and that bothered her.  Chie insisted that meant there wasn’t anything in there to be worried about and was curious and wanted to check it out, while Naoto was similarly interested from an investigative standpoint; they still didn’t know who the culprit was, so she deduced they should thoroughly investigate any lead.  Teddie was also surprisingly wary, for he hadn’t ever sensed the place before and to him it didn’t smell like the rest of his home.  But he didn’t detect anything harmful either so he wasn’t against the idea.  Yukiko and Kanji were pretty indifferent and didn’t care either way.

That left it up to Yu, who studied the cave carefully while listening to everyone’s opinion before deciding Naoto had a point and it would be better to investigate and cross off the place as a possible lead.  Yosuke felt his stomach drop upon his announcement, for his gut instinct was telling him there just was something wrong about that cave.  Rise also looked pretty uneasy and stepped closer to Yu as they headed inside.  “Be careful everyone – just because I can’t sense anything doesn’t mean it’s safe in here,” Rise cautioned, her voice wavering instead of confident like usual.

“You have nothing to worry about,” Chie said, confident in her place.  “Hopefully this will give us some sort of clue!  We haven’t had anything good in awhile!”  She seemed excited, which amused Yukiko as she strolled beside her best friend.  “Besides, you know that we wouldn’t let anything happen to you!”

“Yes, Chie would karate chop away any shadows that tried to attack you,” Yukiko giggled, and Chie looked like she was torn on whether to take that as a compliment or if Yukiko was teasing her.

“Yeah, like Yukiko said!” she replied, deciding to take it in stride.

Yosuke was walking silently next to Yu in the lead and had his arms crossed.  He looked tense and instead of joining in on the banter like he usually did, he was vigilant instead.  That bothered Yu, for he usually took Yosuke’s advice to heart and he didn’t like that his decision had obviously upset his friend.  Yosuke hadn’t questioned it once he made it though, and Yu was pretty certain his partner and second in command would had voiced his concern if he had been really upset.  Still, the silence and the fact Rise still seemed so uncomfortable as well did not sit easy with him.

Behind him, Kanji was describing everything around him while Naoto was using his observations to jot down notes. Naoto liked Kanji’s instincts and how he sometimes picked up on things the others didn’t, so she often used him when making observations and gathering evidence as a tool. They made a good team that way.   It was pretty dark in there and she had to use her phone as a light to see by.  That in itself was odd, for usually the dungeons had some sort of lighting for them to go by, unless it was a trick floor and the lights went out.

Teddie had fallen toward the back and also seemed abnormally quiet.  He was walking slower and would stop occasionally to sniff or test the air.  Yu stopped the group once he realized how much farther behind the bear was and asked, “Hey Teddie, what’s up?”

Teddie didn’t seem to hear him or was too focused on what he was doing to respond.  Yosuke spoke up next upon realizing that Teddie was distracted.  “Ted!” he shouted, startling Yu and finally getting Teddie to turn.  “What’s holding you up, you dumb bear?”

“Sensei, I think we should leave,” Teddie replied, his voice sounding nervous.  “I smell something beary bad and I don’t like it…”

Rise stepped closer to Yu again, lightly grabbing hold of his uniform jacket, while Chie and Yukiko also huddled closer together.  Kanji stood a little closer to Naoto in a protective stance as well while she looked around as if trying to see what had Teddie so concerned.  “What do you mean?” Yu asked.

“I can’t smell the shadow world anymore,” Teddie confessed.  “I’ve been sniffing and sniffing but it’s been no good.  I think my nose is broken again…”  He looked very distraught, but next to Yu he noted that Rise had stiffened.  Yosuke was also abnormally still and wasn’t tapping his foot or shifting impatiently like he usually did when they stopped.

“What’s up?” Yu asked, turning to look at Rise.

“Teddie’s right.  I can’t sense the shadow world anymore,” Rise said softly.  “It’s like it’s…”

“Gone?” a voice asked, sending shivers up everyone’s spine.  “I was wondering how long it would take you to notice.”

The whole group drew closer together, gripping their weapons and looking around for any signs of the speaker.  The voice began laughing, the same distorted laugh that their shadows usually made when they spoke.  Like it was someone’s voice yet not their voice.  “Who are you?  What do you want?” Chie asked nervously.  Yukiko held onto her jacket for comfort and pressed closer when she noticed how scared Chie actually was.

“You should have listened to your friends when they warned you not to come,” the voice continued, ignoring her.  “Now one of you will have to pay for it.”

“Where is this place?” Naoto asked cautiously, noting that the voice had simply ignored Chie.

“This place is nowhere,” the voice answered.  It appeared to only respond to questions it liked.  “There is no exit.  You will wander aimlessly unless you agree to my terms.”

Everyone tensed, before looking around them.  Sure enough, it did appear pretty empty.  When they had first walked in, they had thought it was a cave but now they realized there were no walls that they could see from the light of their phones.  Rise couldn’t sense anything in there either, like she usually could in a dungeon.  And if Teddie couldn’t smell the shadow world then they really must have been transported to somewhere different.

“What are your terms?” Yu finally asked after they had walked a few feet in every direction and hadn’t come across anything tangible.  It was like they simply existed in the inky blackness – there was only void all around them.

“One of you must stay behind,” the voice replied, and the team gasped. 

“What?” Rise asked, covering her mouth.

“If one agrees to stay, the rest will leave.  Keep in mind, the one who decides to stay will remain here for eternity.  You will not see a way back in,” the voice replied.

Noise erupted from the investigation team as everyone began to talk about how unfair it was and how they would find their own way out and would never leave anyone behind.  Yosuke, meanwhile, watched Yu quietly, seeing the wheels turn in his friend’s head.  He could see it in his partner’s eyes, the way he was weighing each and every situation and option that he had.  Yosuke also knew that Yu would not let anyone sacrifice themselves in that way.  Anyone but himself that is.  And Yosuke recognized who the most necessary member of the team was to keep everyone together and to ensure they solved the mystery and protected Inaba from the strange things that kept going on.

“I’ll do it,” Yosuke spoke up, causing everyone to quiet and stare at him.  Especially Yu whose gray eyes stared at him in panic.

“No, Yosuke, you will not.  If anyone were to…” Yu started to say, but Yosuke shook his head with a sad grin.

“I’m sorry partner, but I’m afraid that’s not your decision to make.  The shadow voice thing only said that someone had to agree, not that the whole team had to agree.  And I already agreed first,” Yosuke countered, and the voice began to laugh again.

“Your friend is right.  He has agreed and now I will make good on my promise.”

A portal opened up behind them, showing the platform in the shadow world that led back to the TV in Junes.  Teddie was immediately hit with the familiar smell of his home, while Rise was relieved to finally sense the shadow world and shadows again, something she never thought she would want to feel.  Shadowy tendrils shot forth from the portal and began dragging the rest of the investigation team away. As they began to be dragged back, they struggled to pull away, calling Yosuke’s name and reaching for their friend.  Tendrils also held Yosuke back, but he didn’t struggle and instead watched his friends get pulled to safety, a resigned expression on his face.  He had a slight smile, even if it seemed a bit strained as he watched them get pulled to the safety of the portal.

“Partner!” Yu called desperately.  He was struggling the hardest and was reaching as far as he could for his best friend.  Yosuke turned to look at him, for he had been avoiding his gaze after he saw how sick Yu had looked once he realized Yosuke was right and had tricked everyone.  “Promise me…” Yu struggled, almost at the entrance of the portal.  “Promise me you’ll come back!”  Tears immediately sprang to Yosuke’s eyes, and they began to flow harder when he also heard Teddie desperately wail his name.

“I promise!” Yosuke said, starting not to look so resigned to his fate anymore.  “Yu, I definitely promise!  I’ll find a way!”  Those were the last words his friends heard as they were suddenly pushed through the portal and thrown back into the shadow world, landing into a heap on the platform.  Yu immediately jumped up and ran for the portal, but it rapidly closed and disappeared before he even had a chance.  He stumbled and fell to his knees, sitting slumped in defeat as the rest of the team sat in shocked silence at what had just happened.

Chie was also crying, and she was trying to wipe the tears away on her sleeve.  “Stupid Yosuke – why is he so self-sacrificing,” she sniffled while Yukiko wrapped her in a comforting hug.

“He always puts everyone else before himself,” Yukiko agreed, her eyes also wet with tears.  “I wish he thought of himself more – he looked so subdued afterward…”

“We’re going to save that stupid punk, you hear me sempai!” Kanji said, getting fired up and punching the ground in irritation.  “I can’t believe Yosuke-sempai would do that instead of coming up with a plan with everyone.”

Naoto placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.  “I think Yosuke-sempai was doing it to stop our leader from doing it instead,” she said softly to Kanji.  Yu stiffened from where he sat, but he didn’t say anything or face the rest of the team.  There were no encouraging words or plan of action.  Just the form of a hopeless boy who had just lost his best friend.

Teddie, meanwhile, had popped out of his bear suit and was crying in his human form with his head on his knees.  “Yosuke,” he kept repeating over and over as he sobbed.  Rise felt bad for him and instead of trying to comfort Yu like she wanted, she crawled over and placed a comforting hand on Teddie’s head, gently brushing her fingers through his hair until he calmed down.

“Kanji’s right,” she said, once Teddie had been reduced to sniffles.  “We’ll find a way to save our sempai.  Between my senses and Teddie’s nose, I’m sure we can find it again.  No matter what that dumb voice thinks.  It’s never had to deal with us before, now has it?”

The others turned and smiled at her, glad for her encouraging words.  Even Yu finally unsteadily stood up, although he kept his back to them and was still staring at the portal that had taken Yosuke away.  “This was all my fault,” he said, his voice sounding a little broken.

“What do you mean, Yu-kun?” Yukiko asked in confusion.

“I made the decision to investigate.  Even though I could tell Yosuke didn’t like it.  And now…” Yu replied, his voice sounding broken.

“Rise-chan’s right,” Teddie said, zipping back into his bear suit and standing up.  He was obviously still sniffling which caused his voice to sound kind of funny, but he sounded better now.  “We’ll save Yosuke and then kick him for being a dummy!  Besides, it wasn’t your fault sensei.  If anything it’s all our faults because we make decisions as a team.”

“Ted’s right,” Kanji said.  “We all could have disagreed, even Yosuke-sempai, and you would have listened.  But we didn’t.  We all let sempai down, not just you.”

“Yeah, and it’s ok to cry,” Chie said, stepping forward and placing a hand on Yu’s back.  He stiffened before relaxing slightly.  “I know I would if it had been Yukiko back there too.  And honestly all of us cried a little over that idiot.”

Yu turned to face them after that, and they saw that their leader had indeed been crying as well.  They had never seen him cry before, but they knew how close he was to Yosuke and so weren’t surprised.  That’s why he hadn’t wanted to face them after Yosuke disappeared.  “You’re right.  I won’t let Yosuke be taken away from us,” Yu agreed.  “We can’t leave until we get Yosuke back – there’s no way we can return to Inaba without him.”

Everyone smiled at his words, before nodding to show their resolution.  “Hell yeah, let’s get sempai!” Kanji shouted.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yosuke's perspective after the portal closes, leaving him in the void.

Yosuke, meanwhile, was left in the void by himself.  Without everyone else there, it was incredibly dark and quiet.  He felt panic starting to sink in as he realized the consequences of what he had done, and he slowly sank to the ground as his breathing began to seize up, and he felt the all too familiar feeling of ice running through his veins.  His hands shakily went to his phone and he turned on his music as he kneeled down and clutched at his headphones until he could get his breathing to steady again.  ‘How long until this runs out of battery?’ he wondered suddenly, barely tamping down another panic attack. 

His chest still felt some pain from when he had clammed up, but he was breathing easier now and he quickly turned off the music on his phone and powered it down, wanting to save the battery for when he really needed it.  He then sat down, taking in the emptiness around him, and tried to come up with a plan.  His thoughts, however, were interrupted by the voice.  “I was hoping to get him to stay.  I must say, I was surprised when you volunteered in his place,” it said.  The voice sounded vaguely feminine, but it was hard to tell with how distorted it was.

Yosuke carefully slid his headphones down to his neck so he could listen more carefully and try to take in his surroundings.  He needed to see if he could get the voice to share any sort of clue so he could find a way out.  “Why did you want our leader to stay?” he asked curiously.  He couldn’t figure the voice out, for while it sounded like a shadow, it didn’t act like one.  It didn’t seem to be tied to anyone in particular and both Rise and Teddie made it seem like whatever this space is wasn’t connected to the shadow world.

The voice was quiet for a moment, and Yosuke frowned, remembering how it had ignored Chie’s question earlier.  To his relief, it did answer, however.  “He is not acting how I had hoped,” it replied.  “Not like the other one.  So, I wanted him out of the way.  You being here though…” the voice trailed off.  “It seems to have derailed him better than I had hoped.  They’re all desperate out there you know,” the voice cackled.

Yosuke’s brows furrowed at the voice’s comment.  “What do you mean, not acting how you had hoped?” Yosuke asked curiously, his brain working a mile a minute as he tried to unpack what the voice had just said.  He had a feeling it was being loose with him because it didn’t think he could do anything about it.

“A human like you wouldn’t understand,” the voice replied in disdain.

“Try me,” Yosuke replied thoughtlessly, wincing at how rude he sounded.  He didn’t want to chase the voice off and lose this opportunity.  Luckily, his response seemed to do the trick.

“When he showed up, I was in the process of doing an experiment.  I wanted to see the value of you humans and what kind of world you deserved.  I decided it was worthwhile to see different perspectives, but now they’re both in conflict with each other and it’s become exhausting,” the voice sighed.  “I decided it was time to choose one and to move the other out of the way so I could reshape the world to his view.”

Yosuke was stunned as he processed those words.  A few of the puzzle pieces were beginning to click into place.  “Who’s the other person?  That Yu’s in conflict with?” he asked, and the voice chuckled.

“I know what you’re trying to do, but I won’t make it that easy for you,” it replied.  “Besides, you humans aren’t worthwhile enough to be named,” it sneered.

Yosuke had a hunch that this person that was apparently the opposite of Yu was in fact the one behind the murders.  He wasn’t entirely sure how this thing was using his partner, and he didn’t like the idea that he was somehow being watched or possibly even manipulated in some way.  He was also definitely sure it wasn’t a shadow.  “What are you anyway?  I know you’re trying to sound like a shadow to throw us off, but you’re not.   You don’t act like them at all,” he replied.  It was starting to make sense why they had so much trouble tracking down the culprit as well.  Was this mystery person really the culprit if there was something bigger in the background pulling the strings?

“I am not something a being like you can comprehend,” the voice replied sagely.  “But you are correct.  I am not a shadow.  I am what allows them to be made.”  Within him, Yosuke suddenly realized that Susano-o appeared to be reacting to the voice.  It just hit Yosuke that until this moment, he hadn’t been able to feel his persona, and he began to wonder if the others had noticed the same thing.  Susano-o seemed very upset and was obviously working very hard within his subconscious to catch his attention; it was almost like it was straining to warn him.  Whatever the voice was, his Persona did not like it and it apparently had the ability to seal them away since Yosuke wasn’t able to summon Susano-o now that he realized it had been restrained up until now.

‘Dammit!’ Yosuke thought to himself.  His Persona seemed relieved he was finally paying attention, and he could now sense its feelings about him being in there and staying behind.  It actually seemed pretty proud of him for choosing to protect his friends and Yu specifically, but was incredibly upset that he was here on his own.  Yosuke began to realize that his gut instinct earlier was probably partially shaped by Susano-o trying to warn him.  ‘I wish I had listened and said something,’ he thought, for then he wouldn’t be in this mess.

The voice had fallen silent, so Yosuke decided to try to prod at it again.  His Persona didn’t seem too pleased, especially when it realized the reckless plan forming in his head.  “Whatever you are, you made a mistake though,” he commented idly, standing up and flipping his kunai in his hand.

“I do not make mistakes, human,” the voice replied, causing Yosuke to smirk.

“You made your presence known though,” Yosuke replied.  “And now we know there’s something else pulling strings that’s not a shadow and not the killer.  If you had just sat back and let things play out, we would have had no idea there was something else out there.  But now?  We know about you.  You’re the last piece of the puzzle that’s been evading us this whole time.”  Yosuke mustered all of his false bravado as he talked, tapping into every time he had been a jerk or put his foot in his mouth to ensure he appeared cocky and confident.  Susano-o thrummed nervously inside of him, taut at whatever internal restraints were blocking him from releasing.  It really did not like Yosuke taunting the voice.

“Foolish human,” the voice scoffed.  “What does it matter what you know.  You won’t be seeing your friends again anyway.”

Yosuke’s Persona was tugging at its restraints again, and Yosuke began to realize that there seemed to be something else at play.  It was like as the voice grew angry, its hold on his Persona weakened.  He could almost feel Rise’s probe from her Persona and realized that she was trying to find him and a weak part of her signal was getting through.  “Look, I hate to break it to you, but I’m definitely not the sharpest one in my group.  If I was able to figure out you’re not a shadow, you’d better bet both Yu and Naoto-chan have too,” Yosuke replied proudly.  Susano-o was rattling within himself in anticipation now, also seeming to realize that the hold keeping it in place was weakening. 

Suddenly, the void began to change, and the same fog that filled the shadow world and sometimes creeped into Inaba as well began to swirl up around him.  Yosuke also began to hear the familiar growl that indicated shadows were around and he tensed up before getting into a defensive position with his kunai gripped tightly in his hands.  “I grow tired of you human,” the voice said in disdain, before disappearing.  Yosuke could sense the shadows creeping toward him, and felt his adrenaline pumping as he waited.  However, there were a few other things he could sense too.  One, if the fog and shadows were here, the voice had connected part of the void to the shadow world again.  Two, he could faintly feel Rise’s persona reaching out to him, although her signal was definitely still distorted and weak.  And three, he could feel the restraints on Susano-o about to snap and felt that even if he had to fight these shadows, he would probably be ok.

That’s when he felt it.  That same feeling he’d get hanging out with Yu, spilling his guts out, and how he would feel nervous until this intense feeling of relief would occur and he would be left feeling warm and comfortable like he usually was with his partner.  The feeling when Jiraiya transformed into Susano-o and he just felt complete trust in his best friend after revealing his insecurity and realizing that Yu accepted him anyway.  The feeling that had pushed him to take Yu’s place, knowing that there was no way he’d be able to live with himself if Yu had been the one left behind. 

‘What does partner call it sometimes, our bond?’ he thought, and suddenly Susano-o burst forth from his true self, appearing before him as his Magician’s card shattered in his pocket like it usually did when his Persona was summoned.  Yosuke gaped in surprise, another piece of the puzzle clicking into place.  It was Yosuke’s bond with Yu – his stronger Persona – that had allowed Susano-o to fight back against that voice and to grab his attention.  And Yosuke suspected it was those bonds that Yu formed with everyone that had it nervous enough to seek him out.  He grinned as he called for Susano-o’s Garudyne spell.  Oh yeah, that voice thing had definitely made a mistake.  As the strong wind burst from his Persona, it created a whirlwind that slammed into the void, forming its own portal as it mixed with the fog that connected it to the shadow world.  Yosuke felt his connection to Rise strengthen, and soon he began to hear her distorted voice in his head calling his name.

“I’m here, guys!” he called out, using his kunai to cut back at one of the shadows that had finally gotten close enough to attack as Susano-o let out another Garudyne.  This one seemed to do the trick, and he could soon see the fog thicken and flow in from what appeared to be a tunnel similar to the one they had used to enter the void.  Yosuke expertly dodged another shadow before dashing toward the tunnel, hearing the shouts of his friends in the distance as they also seemed to notice it from wherever they were.  Susano-o protected his back as he ran, using Magarudyne to keep any shadows that attempted to follow him back.  He could see light ahead finally, and he knew that he had to be close to the entrance – it appeared Teddie was right, for he could tell that the air seemed different the closer he got to the shadow world.  It definitely had its own particular feel and he was sure that attributed to the scent Teddie mentioned.

Yosuke began to hear shouts of his name toward the entrance of the tunnel, and he noted that he could finally see a portal similar to the one that had taken his friends.  They were all standing on the other side, shouting encouragement, and he finally locked eyes again with Yu, feeling his heart skip a beat at the expression on his partner’s face.  He couldn’t quite place what it meant, but it definitely made his insides squirm and his Persona react in a way he couldn’t explain.  He had a feeling Susano-o would try to get him to think harder about it later, but right now there was no time.  The portal was trying to close on him.  He dashed forward with a final burst of energy, sprinting toward the portal and throwing himself through it, crash landing on something warm and immediately comforting that pulled him close as he knocked both of them back onto the floor.

Yosuke remained sprawled out for a moment, trying to regain his bearings as he was suddenly inundated with light and sound again after being in that dark void for so long.  Teddie was wailing his name while gripping his shirt, obviously sitting next to him on the floor, while he could sense Yukiko giggling about something to Chie somewhere in front of him.  Kanji was asking if he and “sempai” were ok, and Naoto was obviously behind him more than likely trying to observe the portal he had made as it began to close.  She was talking to Rise who was trying to use her Persona to figure out what that void was that he had barely escaped from.  That left…

“Are you ok, Yosuke?” Yu asked, apparently the person who had cushioned him as he came crashing out of the portal.  Yu had a comforting arm around Yosuke’s shoulder still and was using his other hand to gently run it through his hair, trying to tilt Yosuke’s face up so he could see him. 

Yosuke grumbled in response, carefully opening his eyes and wincing as the light hit them.  “Partner,” he replied weakly, feeling overwhelmed that he was actually here with his friends and not with that weird disembodied voice anymore.  Yu smiled brightly at him, and Yosuke surprised him by smiling widely back before burying his face into his shoulder.  “I was afraid I wouldn’t see you guys again,” he admitted, feeling relaxed as Yu wrapped both arms around him in a comforting hug.

Around him, his friends had gathered closer too, taking a moment to pat him on the head, arm, or shoulder to show how happy they were to see him back.  “I knew you’d come back,” Yu replied.  “Once you made that promise, I just knew.”

Yosuke felt warmth blossom in his chest at his statement, and almost didn’t want to pull away from his partner’s comforting hold.  However, he had a lot of information to share and felt it was important to get that out of the way.  So, he reluctantly pulled away, noting a flicker of disappointment in Yu’s eyes as he did, indicating that he didn’t like it either.  He slowly pulled his arms away, allowing Yosuke to get up before he reached his hand down to help Yu up.  “Thanks partner,” Yosuke said with a bright smile, and to his surprise Yu almost seemed bashful in response.

“Anytime, partner,” he replied, a small smile of his own.

“I have so much to tell you guys,” Yosuke said, trying to pretend that his heart hadn’t fluttered by Yu’s casual use of their nickname.  “I think we finally have some of the necessary clues to get this investigation moving forward.”

The others looked excited at the prospect, and they began to make their way back out of the shadow world and into Junes.  It was unfortunately too late for them to talk about it that night, but they made plans to meet up after school tomorrow so Yosuke could tell them what he had learned.  As they began to disperse, Yosuke noticed that Yu was standing closer to him than normal and seemed to be hovering around him.  “What’s up?” he asked, trying to loosen Teddie’s grip on his arm.  The dumb bear had latched onto him the moment he had pulled away from Yu.

“I just wanted to walk you and Teddie home,” Yu replied, a flicker of _something_ on his face.  Yosuke thought back to some things that the voice had said about how him staying had disrupted Yu’s focus.

“Ooooh, sensei’s going to walk Yosuke home!” Teddie said excitedly as he swung on Yosuke’s arm.  Yosuke again tried in vain to pull away, but he sighed as Teddie gripped his arm even harder.  He could tell Teddie had been crying, however, and soon gave up, figuring that the boy was taking comfort in his returned presence.  “Sensei was so worried about you, Yosuke!  You even made sensei cry!”  Teddie then kicked Yosuke in the shin like he had promised, causing Yosuke to curse and rub where he had been kicked in annoyance. 

Teddie then dashed off to meet up with Kanji, asking sweetly if Kanji could walk home with him, causing the taller kid to glance back at the two of them before grunting his agreement and heading off.  “What the hell, Ted!” Yosuke called, as Teddie grinned at him, making heart signs with his arms before dragging Kanji off.

Yosuke let out a sigh before turning to face Yu, who had remained quiet throughout the whole proceeding.  “Before we head to your house, do you want to go for a walk?” Yu asked quietly, and Yosuke felt his heartrate increase slightly.  Something about the way he asked the question and wouldn’t meet his eyes made the atmosphere strange.  Yosuke thought back to his realization about their bond, however, and realized that this may be like his moment with Yu on the Samegawa river bank where they had their fight and Susano-o had been born.  Maybe this would be a bonding moment for Yu, which meant Yosuke would definitely have to accept the invitation.

“Sure, partner,” Yosuke said, trying to appear nonchalant.  Yu nodded quietly, before they both headed out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke have a chat on the river bank~

When they arrived at the floodplains, Yu led Yosuke to the riverbank before sitting carefully on the ground, crossing one leg under the other that he kept upright so he could drape his arm casually on his knee.  Yosuke plopped down next to him, lying down on the grass and staring up at the night sky, suddenly overwhelmed by the fact he may never have been able to see stars again.  They were both quiet for several moments while Yosuke waited for Yu to gather his thoughts.

“Why did you do it, Yosuke?” Yu finally asked, his voice sounding strained.  Yosuke glanced up at him and noticed that Yu was carefully trying to keep eyes covered by his bangs so he couldn’t fully read his expression.

Yosuke sighed before sitting up slightly, leaning back on his arms instead.  “I knew that you’d try to do it for us instead.  And you?  You’re the most important one on the team.  We’d crumble without you.  So, I volunteered.”  Yosuke then winced, because Susano-o immediately began making angry noises in his head.

Yu noticed and asked softly, “Is that the only reason?”

Yosuke sat up and crossed his legs before rubbing at his head.  If Susano-o kept it up, he’d definitely be getting a migraine soon.  “No,” he admitted.

“Good, because that reason is bullshit,” Yu said, surprising Yosuke at his use of language and his vehement tone.  “You are just as important to the team Yosuke.  There are so many times I’ve been stumped along with the rest of the team and you just noticed something the rest of us didn’t and pushed us in the right direction.  You keep our mood up and look out for everyone, even when we don’t pay attention.  We were all devastated when you stayed behind.”  He looked at Yosuke now, and the brunet gasped when he saw the grief plainly written in his partner’s gray eyes.  He had never seen Yu look so stricken before. 

“I couldn’t…” Yu started, before abruptly stopping.  “If you hadn’t come back, I don’t think I could have managed without you.”  His hands dropped into his lap and he stared back out at the river, tears pinpricking his eyes again.  Yosuke remembered how he had noticed how red-rimmed they were earlier.

‘Partner cried for me,’ he thought, his test tightening painfully.  He also felt Susano-o pushing him mentally and frowned, thinking in annoyance, ‘I know, give me a minute and shut it,’ before turning to face Yu.

“Listen, the biggest reason I took your place is I feel the same way.  I couldn’t imagine things without you, partner.  Like I could see you thinking about it, about sacrificing yourself for the rest of us, and I couldn’t let you do it.  I’d be the one devastated then,” Yosuke said desperately, feeling relieved when he got the words off his chest, partially because Susano-o was finally quiet. 

Yu met his gaze, taking in Yosuke’s feelings, a flicker in his normal calm façade as realization hit him.  “You know what I realized in there?  That voice thing?  It’s afraid of you.  And you know why?  It’s because of those bonds you’ve created with us.  When I thought of you and my bond with you, Susano-o was able to break away from its control, and I was able to escape.  I only did it because of that connection with you.”  Yu’s eyes widened at that revelation, and he took a sharp breath. 

He then steeled himself before turning and kneeling in front of Yosuke.  “I have something I need to say then,” he said, looking nervous.  “Please just…don’t hate me for it.”

Yosuke immediately looked concerned and straightened his back.  “Yu, you’re my partner.  I’d never hate you,” he said firmly.  “I thought everything I just said would have let you know that.”

Yu let out a deep sigh.  “Yosuke.  Partner.  The reason why I was so upset when you disappeared, when I thought I lost you, is I’m in love with you,” he said, staring desperately into Yosuke’s eyes as he spoke.  Fear, hope, and longing swirled in his eyes, and Yosuke felt his chest immediately tighten and his face flush.

“What?  Me?” he blurted, before inwardly cursing himself.

Yu’s face fell and he looked down.  “It’s always been you,” he said quietly.

“Every time I asked about your type?” Yosuke squeaked, and Yu nodded.  Yosuke ran a hand through his hair as he tried to process what Yu had told him.  Inwardly, Susano-o was nudging at him again, and he suddenly thought back to that moment where he had returned from the void and realized he had landed in Yu’s arms.  He had felt so warm and safe and hadn’t wanted to leave.  And Susano-o had kind of nudged him then too.  His face flushed even brighter and his hand covered his mouth as realization hit.

“I understand that you don’t feel the same way,” Yu started to say.  “I don’t…”

“Yu, just shut up for a minute,” Yosuke interrupted, and Yu snapped his mouth shut in surprise.  “I don’t want to hear you try to put down your feelings or pretend they’re somehow not important.  Because they are.”  Yosuke looked at him directly as he spoke, a determined glint in his eyes along with a mix of confusion and slow realization.  “And if you’d just give me a moment to work through things, those words may not even be necessary ok?”

Yu nodded dumbly, not expecting such a passionate response from his best friend.  He waited impatiently, trying his best not to fidget as Yosuke worked through his feelings.  It was hard because Yosuke was terrible at hiding his emotions so he got to play audience to all the conflicting expressions flittering across his face.  Finally, his eyes met Yu’s, and Yu sucked in his breath at the look in his gaze.  “I think I’m in love with you too, partner,” he choked out, tears in his eyes.  However, underneath the tears his eyes were warm and affectionate, and Yu felt his heart skip a beat as they met.

“Really?” he asked, feeling himself tear up as well.

Yosuke merely nodded before throwing himself in Yu’s arms again.  Yu caught him and pulled him close, immediately feeling at peace just as he had earlier when he caught Yosuke as he stumbled out of the void.  “I’m sorry that I was such a jerk that you thought I’d hate you for being in love with me,” Yosuke said on Yu’s shoulder, and Yu ran a gently hand through his partner’s hair.

“I was just feeling anxious,” he replied.  “Honestly, I only ever confessed because I started to think you may feel the same way.  You gave me hope when you were honest about what happened back there.”

Yosuke smiled into his shoulder before pulling away slightly to look Yu in the eyes.  “Things are really new to me and I’ll have to work through a lot.  I hope you can be patient with me?”  Yu nodded, a wide smile on his face.

“We can take things as slow as you need, partner,” he said sincerely, and Yosuke let out a sigh of relief. 

He then gave Yu his trademark casual winking grin that caused the gray-haired boy’s heart to melt.  “Looks like you’ll be stuck with me then,” he joked, and Yu grinned in reply.  Although nothing changed with their personas, Yosuke could tell that their bond had definitely grown stronger, and he knew when it came time to face that voice from the void, they would be ready.  “I guess we should head back before Teddie has a conniption fit,” Yosuke sighed, and Yu nodded before standing up.  He casually offered his hand to Yosuke who flushed before accepting it and allowing Yu to pull him up.

“I’ll walk you home,” Yu said, and Yosuke looked exasperated but figured after the scare he gave his friends he couldn’t argue.  Instead, he held firmly to Yu’s hand as they walked, figuring that they were highly unlikely to run into anyone this late at night and wanting to prove to him that he was willing to take those steps for their relationship.  Yu smiled fondly, lacing their fingers together as they walked to the Hanamura home, chatting about what Yosuke experienced and how he would explain it to everyone tomorrow.  Things had finally clicked into place for both of them, and they were going to appreciate every moment they had together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally finished! I actually wrote this whole thing without an outline or a clear idea of where I wanted it to go, so I hope how I wrapped it up can be enjoyable.


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